Anne Crawford, sales manager of Sacramento-based IS Inc., doesn't believe in going generic. Although such
products may thrive in the grocery industry, it's not right for
training, and that's why the company works to tailor training and
consulting to the perfect fit.
How did the company get started?
My parents started IS Inc. in 1982. It began as an idea as we were
moving from Dallas to San Francisco, which was our seventh corporate
relocation in seven years. With five children and a father traveling
throughout the U.S. during the work week, my parents realized that it
was time for a change.
We began selling and supporting dedicated word processing systems. This
involved working closely with clients, understanding their business
processes and improving them with technology-whether it be through
training, consulting or a combination of both. While the products and
the industry have changed dramatically, our core business has remained
the same.
What got you interested in doing this kind of work?
I grew up in a household with all the latest computer products and
software, often before they were available anywhere else. I started
working in the business in high school. Although it is often more
difficult to work for your family business--the hours can be very long
and the boss always knows how to get in touch with you--I was drawn to
it. I've learned about so many different types of businesses and the
technology they use.
Why do you feel that there's a need for what you provide?
Technology is changing very rapidly. Because of this, customers are
looking for an organization to help guide them to improve their business
processes. Our company builds long-term relationships with our clients
and they know they can trust the level of expertise of our staff. I
believe there will always be a need for people that take the time to
understand a client's business and that can develop solutions to better
run it.
We spend a lot of time researching and investing in new technology and
find ourselves pretty accurate in forecasting new trends. Right now
we're really excited about the trend toward using cell phones for all
sorts of business activities and we expect to see a lot of interest in
mobile enterprise development. Overall, the number of students
participating in Nokia developer training is expected to double this
year as interest in mobile software continues to grow around the world,
and we're excited to be part of that and to be one of only two
organizations working with Nokia to provide mobile applications
development training here in the US.
What makes your company unique?
Companies send people to training because they have specific problems
they are trying to address. Our customers are more knowledgeable and
need instructors that can address the problems that they are
encountering on the job. The only way this can be done is to have
training designed for the job they have to do. Generic, feature-rich
classes, including on-line training, do not address these needs.
During the past few years, companies have downsized and are expecting
their staff to do more. These people are more sophisticated and don't
find the generic training and certification as important as they once
were. Now with all of the new technology that is becoming available,
companies are seeking to improve their business processes to remain
competitive. The type of training we are providing now is focused on
helping companies apply technology to solve critical business problems.
This is one of the reasons why there has been a huge increase in
training, particularly customized training.
do you know a Bay area company we should cover? Let us know about it.
Send your local profile candidates to emillard@computeruser.com.
